Method of preparing fuels for combustion



Dec. 9, 1941. H. H. SCHMIDT 2,265,193

METHOD OF PREPARING FUELS FOR COMBUSTION Filed Sept. 13, 1957 78 I6 4o 40 4/ v 4/ INVENTOR 2a 32 lie/mama Hxhm/dz 33 BY .544,

34 r I ATTORNEY Patented 9, 1941 METHOD or PREPARING FUELS FOR f CO BUSTION Hermann H. Schmidt Hanover, Kaila, assignor to The Universal'itqy alty and Development Company, St. Joseph, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application September 13, 1937, Serial No. 163,651

4 Claims.

My invention relates to a method of preparing fuels for combustion and to producing a substantially uniform combustible mixture of air and a -fuel.

As is well known, the combustible mixtures produced for use in combustion chambers, such ods of p'roducingthese fuel mixtures are more or ..lesscrude, in that a uniform blend, or even distribution, of the combustible ingredients of the fuel mixture with the combustion sustaining medium, such as the air, is not produced by the means for producing such combustible mixtures 4 for use in internal combustion engines, and similar combustion chambers, at the present time. This results in the formation of carbon in the engine and the discharge of incomplete combustion products, such as carbon monoxide, in

the exhaust gases of the engine. All carbon and carbon monoxide that is produced in a combustion chamber,'and. not in some manner burned to produce power, is lost and results in inefliciency.

It is a purpose of my invention to provide means for producing a combustible mixture for use in a combustion chamber, such as that of an internal combustion engine, for example, that is so finely divided and uniformly blended that if the proper proportions of air and fuel are used to produce the mixture there will be no products exhausted from the chamber that are not products of complete combustion.

My method can be used with any combustible material that is capable of being finely divided in the manner to be pointed out herein. The liquid fuels ordinarily used in the ordinary gasoline internal combustion engine can be used with my method and the efiiciency of the engine greatly increased. The same is true of a gaseous fuel and of powdered fuel made out of finely divided solid combustible material. Also liquid fuels can be used that were not previously usable,

because these were not readily enough vaporizable by old methods to produce a sufliciently good combustible mixture to be used in an internal combustion engine of the usual character. It is not to be understood that my invention is limited to the production of a fuel mixture suitable for the ordinary internal combustion engine that compresses a combustible mixture in a cylinder, but that the same can also be used in conjunction with liquid fuel engines into which the fuel is now sprayed, such as the Diesel type of engine and other fuel burning devices, such as oil burners. The thoroughness of blending of the fuel material and the air is obtained by my method with any type of fuel, used with any type of engine or in any type of combustion chamber where the fuel is to be burned, whether it is used for power purposes or otherwise.

The important step in the production of the improved combustible mixture is that of whirling the combustible material and air about in a chamber to finely divide and break down the same and intimately mix the same to produce a substantially uniformly blended fuel made up of air and the combustible material, or materials, mixed with the air. The whirling or application of centrifugal force to the materials that are to be intimately mixed, may be done in any desired manner, but is, preferably, done by means of rotatable impelling means to positively rotatively impell the fuel material and the air in a chamber, to finely divide and intimately mix the same. It may be accomplished by such an apparatus as shown in my co-pending application, Serial No. 116,923, filed December 21, 1936. The chamber and rotating means illustrated in said application, would, of course, have to be constructed and arranged to adapt the same to use in conjunction'with a fuel tank and other fuel distributing means and a combustion chamber, such as that in an internal combustion engine, to satisfactorily carry out my method.

It is sometimes desirable to use powdered materials in connection with a combustion chamber, to either start the combustion or to produce corrtinuous combustion therein, and sometimes is desirable to introduce a powdered material to aid the combustion along with a liquidfuel material. It is accordingly a purpose of my invention to provide a new and improved method of uniformly mixing and blending finely divided solid materials and air, or finely divided solid materials, 'aliquid, and air, so as to produce a uniform combustible product therefrom. In the case of most fuels, what is substantially a vapor is produced by the rotative impelling of the ingredients of the combustible mixture at high velocity in a chamber and the bombardment of said materials against the walls of the chamber, due to the centrifugal force created thereby, al-

'- though in the case of some fuels it may be that a true vapor is not formed, but a finely divided mist-like fog is produced that is of a uniform character and is a perfect combustible mixture, which will burn completely, due to the fact that there'is suflicient oxygen, in intimate relation with the combustible material to combine therewith when the material enters the combustion chamber, and is ignited therein.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the description thereof proceeds. However, I do not intend to limit myself to the particular details described, except as defined in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a vertical section perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the rotor of an apparatus that may be used to carry out my method, and

Fig. 2 is a section taken at right angles to Fig. l.

In carrying out my improved method, any suitable means may be provided for confining the combustible material, or materials, and air within a defined space while a whirl is being set up therein to whip the same about and finely divide the contents of the chamber into a mist-like or vapor form and any suitable means may be provided for setting up this whirl while so confined. One form of apparatus is disclosed herein that can be used for that purpose. However, other means may be utilized to accomplish the method that forms the subject matter hereof.

My improved apparatus comprises a casing made up of two sections l4 and I5, each oi which' is provided with a flange l6, through which securing members l1 extend,,said securing members having heads l8 engaging the one flange I6 and being threaded to engage in threaded openings in the other flange It. A flange I3 is i'ormed partly on the member I4 and partly on the member l5, and from the central opening IS in said flange l3 a pair oi passages 20 extend, one being formed in each of the casing portions l4 and IS. The passages 20 extend through-openings 2| into the chamber 22, formed between the two halves of the casing l4 and I5, the passages 20 gradually decreasing in size toward the opening 2|, avoiding any sharp corners or offsets, or variations in size therein that might cause whistling or other noise as the fluid passes through the passage 20. In order that said passages will not have any reduced portions or sharp offsets therein, the same are provided in the form of tubular conduits having outer wall portions 23 that extend along opposite sides of the casing members I 4 and I5, so as to terminate inwardly from the outer peripheral edge of the annular portions of said casing members and at a point spaced circumferentially from the outlet conduit 24, said outlet conduit having a passage 25 extending outwardly from the chamber 22 between the two passages 20.

Within the chamber 22 provided between the casing members I4 and I5, is a rotor having a hub portion 26 and a central disk-like dividing wall 21, which divides the casing into a pair of chambers 28 and 29 lying on opposite sides of said wall 21. Each of the casing portions 14 and I is provided with a bearing portion 30. A shaft 3| is mounted in an opening in the hub portion 25 in flxed position, and is mounted for rotation in the casing by means of the ball bearings 32 mounted in the bearing portions 30. One bearing portion 34 is provided with a plug 30' providing a fluid tight closure, and a sleeve 33 in which the shaft 3| rotates is mounted in the other bearing member 30. Mounted on the shaft 4| to rotate therewith is a pulley 34, which is 'very high velocity. Said rotor is provided with blades or vanes "thereon, which are, preferably, arranged in staggered relation on opposite sides of the partitioning or dividing disk portion 21. Said vane or blade members 40 are cast integral with the central partition 21 and extend at an acute angle to the radial, being inclined backwardly from the hub portion to the periphery of the rotor, considering the direction of rotation of the rotor as being forward. While the particular angle at which said vanes or blades extend to a radial line, through. their inner ends for example, may be varied, these are shown as extending at substantially an angle of 45 degrees to the radial in the drawing. Said blades or vanes taper outwardly toward the periphery of the rotor, becoming gradually narrower toward their outer ends, the edges thereof being formed on a gradual curve, as shown at 4| in Fig, 2. The casing portions [4 and I5 are similarly curved, the side walls of said casings adjacent the side edges of the bladed rotor being of substantially the same contour as said blades, the walls gradually approaching each other toward the peripheral flanged portions IS on a curve, as shown at 42 in Fig. 2.

It will be noted that a clearance is shown between the edges 4| of the blades or vanes and the curved concave wall portions 42. It is to be understood that the clearance between these blades and the wall portions is only suflicient for mechanical purposes, so that there will be no engagement of said blades with said wall portions, the edges of the blades and the wall portions being of substantially the same cross-sectional contour at their adjacent portions.

The disk-like central wall or partition portion 21 of the rotor ends shortof the blades or vanes 40, the vanes or blades having "portions 43 that extend outwardly beyond the peripheral edge 44 of the disk-like portion 21, and said projecting blade portions 43 extend across the peripheral edge 44 of the disk-like portion 21, and closely adjacent the annular periphery of the chamber 22 adjacent the wall portions 42, so as to just have mechanical clearance from said casing beyond the periphery of the disk-like portion. A space is thus provided between the vanes or blades 40, as shown at 45, between the casing wall and the peripheral edge of the disk-like portion 21.

It will be noted that at the lower end of the casing adjacent the outlet passage 25 said casing widens, as indicated at 46, to provide an outlet chamber leading into the outlet passage 25, into which the peripheral edge or rim portion of the rotor extends. The members l4 and I5 are provided with flange portions 48 thereon, that together form a flange that is bolted in fluidtight relation to the flange on the inlet conduit leading into the intake manifold, and the flange I3 is similarly bolted to a flange on a conduit extending from a carburetor, or other means for supplying fuel and air, the carburetor and intake manifold not being shown.

The rotation of the rotor in the casing draws the mixture of air and combustible fluid in through the passages 20 and the opening 2| into said casing, part of the mixture of air and oombustible fluid passing through the one passage 20 into the chamber as, and the other portion thereof through the other passage 20 into the chamber 29. As the mixture of air and combustible fluid is drawn into the chambers it comes into engagement with the vanes or blades on the rotor and is given a violent centrifugal whirling or whipping motion, causing the same to be thrown outwardly centrifugally toward the outer peripheral edge of the annular passage adjacent the peripheral edge 44 of the partitioning means 21, and also into engagement with the side walls of said chambers, causing some of said air and combustible fluid to be forced between said side walls and said blades 40, and some of the same to be thrown transversely across the peripheral edge 44 of the partitioning means 21 from the chamber 28 to the chamber 29, and vice versa, thus causing a complete breaking up into a vapor of any of the fluid that may not have previously been in a vaporous state, and thoroughly and completely mixing the air and fluid vapor, so as to make a uniform blend thereof having a uniform proportion of air and combustible vapor therein throughout the mass thereof. The rotation of therotor throws the blended gaseous fuelthe velocity given said combustible mixture causing the same to pass into the intake manifold and to be injected into the cylinder, or cylinders, of the internal combustion engine, or other combustion chamber, that may be open to the intake manifold at the time that the combustible mixture is being passed into the same.

In carrying out the method of producing the combustible mixture, or of preparing a combustible mixture for use, the combustible material, or materials, and air are whirled or whipped about in a chamber or other space to finely divide the same and, preferably, produce a vapor thereof. This may be done in combination with a carburetor or other similar means for producing a combustible mixture'of the usual character now utilized in internal combustion engines, in which the air merely picks up volatilized fuel, which frequently exists'in the stream of air entering the intake manifold in the form of small, or minute, drops andparticles that are suspended in the air stream, said mixture also probably containing some of the fuel, if of a highly volatile character, in a true vapor state. However,

nothing is provided in such a carburetor for provery greatly improved and the efliciency thereof for use in an internal combustion engine, or I other combustion chamber, can .be greatly increased by introducing the same into a chamber and rotatively impelling the same to .whip the same about therein and break up all of the particles of liquid fuel that are carried inthe air,

so as to finely divide and substantially vaporize all thereof, also finely dividing the air and intimately mixing the air and the finely divided fuel vapor and fuel particles, so as to produce a uniform fuel mixture of a substantially vaporous or gaseous nature, that will be completely burned in the combustion chamber without any products of incomplete combustion resulting. The whirling or whipping about is, preferably, done in a chamber that closely conforms to the size and shape ofthe impelling means, so that the fuel mixture that is introduced into the chamber in which the rotation takes place is closely confined to the path of rotation. thereof produced by the rotative impelling means, as this causes the same producing this mixture of combustible fuelandair that is to be processed to improve the com-- bustion qualities thereof, other means can be used for contacting a volatile liquid fuel with air.

This can be done by merely passing the air over a body of fuel to merely take up the vaporized, or volatile, portions thereof and then rotatively impelling and whipping or whirling the same about in a chamber in the manner previously referred to, to produce an intimate, thorough, and finely divided mixture of the air and vaporized fuel to produce a uniform blend thereof that will, if the proper proportions of air and vaporized fuel are used, produce perfect combustion.

It is, of course, to be understood that, if the fuel mixture, produced by a carburetor or' other means for taking up the volatile liquid fuel into additional air should be introduced into said chamber simultaneously with the air that contains the fuel mixture in the same.

The fuel mixture need not be made up of a volatile or readily vaporizable liquid fuel, however. It can be made up of a liquid fuel that is very difilcult to vaporize under ordinary conditions, such as distillate, or crude oil, or fuel oil, and this can be mixed with air in any desired manner, as by spraying the same with ordinary spraying means, or by producing a mixture thereof by feeding the liquid fuel and the air into an apparatus, such as utilized for whirling or whipping the same about, herein referred to, and this fuel mixture can then be further whirled or whipped about in a chamber, with or without additional air being added thereto, to produce a perfect fuel mixture uniformly blended throughout, with exactly the right proportions of air and liquid fuel, and intimately mixed through out the entire mass thereof.

.The same result can be obtained where a powdered solid fuel material is used. The powdered solid fuel material, of course, would have to be blown into the air stream, or sprayed into the air stream, or fed into the air stream, or mixed with the air stream in some manner to suspend the powdered fuel in the stream. of air, such as by suitable blowing means, or by introducing the finally divided powdered material into a chamher in which air is also fed and rotative means is provided for whirling the powdered material about to produce a mixture of said powdered material and air. It is possible to produce a thorough completely combustible mixture of powdered fuel material and air in this manner by introducing the proper amount of powdered fuel material and air into a chamber in which rotative impelling means is provided for producing the centrifugal whirl or whipping action, referred to above. However, it may be found desirable to first mix the powdered material and air in this manner to suspend the powdered material in the air and then introduce such a mixture into another .chamber in which such rotative impelling means is provided, to more thoroughly blend the powdered material and air in the proper proportions, introducing additional air into the chamber to get the proper proportions of .air and powdered fuel to produce the perfect combustion, if this is necessary. In a similar manner, the liquid fuel can be introduced in liquid form into a chamber along with air and the combustible uniformly blended mixture produced in a single chamber without first spraying the liquid fuel, if this is found desirable, although it may be found to be preferable to introduce additional air in a second chamber in which rotative impelling of the fuel mixture and air is carried on to assure the proper proportion of air to the liquid fuel to get perfect combustion.

It may also be found desirable to introduce a powdered fuel material, at least for starting purposes, with a liquid or other similar fuel, into a combustion chamber, and in case this is found to be desirable, a much more thorough and complete blending and mixing of these various fuel materials and air can be obtained by introducing the powdered fuel material and the liquid fuel material either in a stream of air or directly into a chamber, into which air is also fed and in which means is provided for centrifugally whirling or whipping the same about or rotatively im-' pelling the same, so as to produce an intimate mixture of the various finely divided or substantially vaporized ingredients of the fuel mixture. In any case, the particles of the fuel material, whether solid, liquid or gaseous, or a suspension of liquid particles in a vapor, are more widely separated and more intimately associated with similar air particles to produce a more rapid, more thorough, and more complete combustion than would be possiblewithout such intimate mixture and thorough blending of'the fuel.

In the case of certain types of combustion chambers in certain engines and similar devices,

the combustible mixture thus produced can be sprayed directly into the combustion chamber by the utilization of the centrifugal force produced by the rotative means operating in the combustion chamber, although this is not necessary, the usual valve means and usual intake passage means utilized in the usual internal combustion engine being utilizable to conduct the thoroughly combustible mixture thus produced to the proper combustion chambers in the engine in the proper order to produce the desired operation of the engine in the usual manner.

My improved method is not to be confused with the ordinary supercharging method. It does not involve the mere forcing of a larger amount of combustible mixture into a cylinder under pressure, or under the propulsion of a fan or similar member. While there is a certain amount of mixing in such devices as superchargers, there is usually a poorer combustion than withoutthe use of the supercharger. This is due to the fact that under compression the tendency is for some of the fuel to be liquefiedg nd to collect in minute drops, either in the cylinder or the passage leading to the cylinder. The nearer the combustible mixture is to a true gaseous condition and the more nearly, the proper amount of air there is dispersed throughout this gaseous combustible material the more complete the combustion is. The mere mixing or stirring of the combustible mixture, while increasing the uniformity of the fuel mixture, does not vaporize nor more finely divide the same to produce a vapor or gaseous product that is substantially homogeneous throughout and is a vapor throughout. While with all fuels and under all conditions this ideal result is not always obtainable with all apparatus that may be utilized for the carrying out of my invention, yet if the fuel and the air is introduced into the chamber, in which it is treated for increasing the combustibility thereof, in a manner that the-addition of air thereto is not restricted, and in quantities so that it can be whipped or thrown about centrifugally in the chamber to be bombarded against the walls of the chamber and engage with the impelling means so as to break up the fuel and substantially vaporize the same, with the impelling means conforming substantially to the walls of the chamber so that the fuel and air will be forced through narrow passages between the rotating impelling means and the wall of the chamber, the mechanical forces acting on the fuel and air will vaporize all fuels that have any appreciable amount of volatility and will so finely divide any other fuels that the same will be so finely dividedin suspension in the air that a true vapor, or substantially a true vapor, or gaseous combustible mixture will be produced. It has been found that, preferably, the chamber in which the rotative whirling motion, or whipping action, takes place, is provided with an ample discharge opening, so that nocompression will take place therein. Compression of the gaseous mixture therein would cause the formation of minute drops in the fuel mixture and nullify some of the advantages gained by treatment of the fuel mixture by my improved method. By'my improved method a more complete combustion and more nearly ideal fuel mixture is obtained under all conditions and at all engine speeds than would otherwise bepossible. By introducing the proper proportions of air and combustible material into the chamber and uniformly blending these while forming a vapor thereof, by the violent whipping or whirling thereof in a chamber and against the walls of the chamber and the whipping means, this result can be obtained.

What I claim is:

1. The method of producing a combustible vaporous fuel mixture of a liquid fuel and air, comprising introducing said liquid fuel and air into a chamber, positively simultaneously rotatively impelling substantially all the liquid fuel and air in said chamber in the same direction of rotation to whip the same about therein and create a positively propelled centrifugal whirl of said fuel and air of substantially the extent of said chamber, at such divide and mix said fuel and air, bombarding the walls of said chamber with said-finely divided fuel and air while under substantially the full centrifugal forc produced by the rotative impelling thereof. and unrestrictedlydischarga velocity as to finely ing the resultant vaporous fuel mixture from said chamber centrifugally from the periphery of said centrifugal whirl at such a rate that said positive rotative impelling produces no appreciable pressure variations in the contents of said chamber, introducing said mixture discharged from said chamber and air into a second chamber, positively simultaneously rotatively impelling substantially all the contents of said v second chamber in the same'direction of rotation to create a positively propelled centrifugal whirl of substantially the extent of said second chamber of the contents thereof at such a velocity as to further divide and mix said fuel and air, bombarding the walls of said second chamber with the contents thereof while under substantially the full centrifugal force produced by the rotative impelling thereof, and unrestrictedly discharging the resultant vaporous mixture from said second chamber centrifugally from the periphery of said centrifugal whirl at such a rate.

that said positive rotative impelling produces no appreciable pressure variations in the contents of said second chamber.

2. The method'of making a uniformly blended fuel vapor of liquid fuel and air, comprising spraying said liquid fuel into and simultaneously introducing air into a chamber in controlled proportions, positively simultaneously rotatively impelling substantially all the liquid fuel and air in said chamber in the same direction of rotation to whip the same about therein and create a positively propelled centrifugal whirl of said fuel and air of-substantially the extent of said cham ber, at such a velocity as to finely divide and mix said fuel and air, bombarding the walls of said chamber withsaid finely divided fuel'and air while under substantially the full centrifugal force produced by the rotative impelling thereof, and unrestrictedly discharging the resultant vaporous fuel mixture from said chamber centrifugally from the periphery of said centrifugal whirl at such a ratethat said positive rotative impelling produces no appreciable pressure variations in the contents of said chamber, introducing said mixture discharged from said chamher and air into a second chamber, positively simultaneously rotatively impelling substantially all the contents of said second chamber in the same direction of rotation to create a positively propeller centrifugal whirl of substantially the extent of said second chamber of the contents thereof at'su'ch a velocity as to furtherdivide 3. The method of blending a vaporous fuel mixture comprising introducing controlled proportions of air and a fuel mixture constituent comprising liquid and solid powdered fuel particles suspended in air into a chamber. positively simultaneously rotatively impelling substantially all the fuel mixture and air in said chamber in the same direction of rotation to whip'the same about therein and create a positively propelled centrifugal whirl of said fuel mixture and air of substantially the extent of said chamber, at such a velocity as to finely divide and mix saidfuel mixture and air, bombarding the walls of said chamber with said fuel mixture and air whileunder substantially the full centrifugal force produced by the rotative impelling thereof, and unrestrictedly discharging the re sultant vaporous blend from said chamber centrifugally from the periphery of said centrifugal whirl at such a rate that said positive rotative impelling produces no appreciable pressure variations in the contents of said chamber.

4. The method of producing a combustible vaporous fuel mixture of a liquid fuel and air, comprising introducing said liquid fuel and air into a chamber, positively simultaneously rotatively impelling substantially all the liquid fuel and air. in said chamber in the same direction of rotation to whip the same about therein and create a positively propelled centrifugal whirl of said fuel and air of substantially the extent of said chamber, at such a velocity'as to "finely divide and mix said fuel and air, bombarding the walls of said chamber with said finely divided fuel and air while under substantially the full centrifugal force produced by the rotative impelling thereof,

and un restrictedly discharging the resultant vaporous fuel mixture from said chamber centrifugally from the periphery of said centrifugal whirl at such a rate that said positiverotative.

impelling produces no appreciable pressure variationsjn the contents of said chamber, introducing said mixture discharged from said chamand mix said fuel and air, bombarding the walls her, a finely divided combustible powder and air into a second chamber, positively simultaneously rotatively impelling substantially all the contents of said second chamber in the same direction of rotation to create a positively propelled centrifugal whirl of substantially the extentof said second chamber of the contents thereof at such a velocity as to further divide and mix said fuel and air, bombarding the walls of said second chamber with the contents thereof while under substantially the full centrifugal force produced I by the rotative impelling thereof, and unrestrictedly discharging the resultant vaporous mixture from said second chamber centrifugally from the periphery of said centrifugal whirl at such a rate that said positive rotative impelling produces no appreciable pressure variations in the contents of said second chamber.

HERMANN H. SCHMIDT. 

